In Search Of Gin
This being the month of Aviations, I decided to explore some different gins and this one just fell into my lap. There is a great new restaurant in Baltimore, The Fork & Wrench, that serves some really wonderful artisan cocktails and their version of The Aviation, Dutch Flyer, uses this very unique gin that was new to me, Boomsma Oude Genever.
This is not your typical London dry gin. Genever (or Jenever ) is the strong Juniper flavored liquor from which Gin evolved. When these Holland spirits first came about in the 1600s by distilling malt wines, they would be infused with juniper berries to cover up the bitter tastes. The Oude ("old") is aged in oak casks for at least a year and has a surprisingly yellow tequila-like color with an even more surprising whiskey element to it. The Jonge ("young") is more neutral, somewhat like vodka with a touch of juniper but closer in taste to that of a London dry gin.
I really enjoyed my Boomsma Oude Aviation, though I did not notice the unique taste of the gin when mixed with the other ingredients. Sipped on it's own is a very different experience.
Sounds like this may be a gin for those of us who can't abide regular gin.
ReplyDeleteAnd you already knew that about Aviations!
To quote Dorothy Parker:
"I love martinis, two at most.
Three, I'm under the table.
Four, I'm under the host."